Submission by Format Engineers.
Being a good ancestor
Practice
1. Do you have a clearly stated purpose aligned with the planetary emergency? We’re looking for a bold ambition here, and a culture which recognises the need for long-term thinking.
Yes. Particularly when it comes to materiality. The office culture is to question, compare, and discuss material and construction choices to ensure our final impact is made from conscious, informed decisions and capturing the challenges around material usage today, but also for the next generations.
2. Do you have a clearly stated purpose aligned with the planetary emergency? We’re looking for a bold ambition here, and a culture which recognises the need for long-term thinking.
No.
3. Do you share research and knowledge for the benefit of society and the wider world?
The company believes in applied research as a way to find innovation within the built environment. This can be revisiting craft, using robotic or digital-assisted construction methods or looking for new materials. We both look for research and ways to apply it in everyday settings, but also conduct research with various universities, always with projects in mind. We also publish open-source digital tools. We believe sharing tools and knowledge is the only way to move together.
Project
1. Do you advocate for long-term thinking at the outset of work? Do you initiate work with long-term thinking and challenge clients? Also, can the organisation demonstrate that this approach has worked?
This is embedded within our workflow. We question form and material. Making sure clients have a full picture of where the material comes from, where it ends, and whether the material does an efficient job or puts us at risk of wasting a valuable resource. We provide this both in actual data, carbon values, and material provenance, but also discuss overall project objectives, ambitions and context. Not all projects are set in the UK, and what works here isn’t always working elsewhere.
2. Does your work take account of the future climate and the need for resilience?
No.
3. Does the majority of your work go beyond mitigating negatives and towards optimising positives?
Yes, we work with clients and collaborators who often have similar ambitions, which results in positive outcomes, interesting discussions, and challenging ourselves for the better.
Co-evolving with nature
Practice
1. Do you use biophilia within your premises and/or do you regularly gather in natural settings?
Yes.
2. Can you share examples of where you have considered nature in decision making?
Yes. We have many examples, either considering ecosystems in the forest while selecting materials, or carefully choosing foundation systems that would minimise impact on tree rooting networks. We also look at qualities within biophilia and understand how natural ecosystem construction can translate into efficient building methods.
3. Are you supporting nature locally and nationally?
No.
Project
1. Can you demonstrate work that strives to match the performance of a mature ecosystem?
No.
2. Are you working on material stewardship?
Yes.
3. Does the majority of your work demonstrate the use of biologically-inspired approaches such as Bioregionalism, Biophilia or Biomimicry?
Yes.
Creating a just space for people
Practice
1. Do you have a progressive EDI policy and can you evidence many forms of diversity, which are welcomed and acknowledged, within your company/organisation?
Yes.
2. Do you operate a no overtime culture, meet the living wage consistently, and stipulate a fair salary ratio between staff of all levels?
Yes.
3. Do you support charities, community groups, social enterprises, action groups and others through pro-bono work, charitable giving or in-kind donations?
Yes, this is something we are very attached to, and we do as much as we can.
Often, we also learn from those projects.
4. Do you use an ethical framework to assess opportunities and/or supply chain partners and is them team consulted on these decisions?
Yes.
Project
1. Does your work demonstrate deep engagement with local stakeholders and end users?
Yes.
2. Does your work create connected and resilient communities which positively contribute to neighbourhoods and allow equality of access?
Yes.
3. Does the majority of your work promote equity in society, and consider all people, not only building inhabitants
No.